Kasab's execution: Pak press calls for arresting 26/11 masterminds

The execution of Kasab made headlines in Pakistan with two leading English language dallies demanding that masterminds of the 26/11 carnage be brought to justice.

NEW DELHI: The execution of Ajmal Kasab, the only Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist to be caught alive out of the 10 trained killers unleashed on Mumbai on November 26, 2008, made headlines in Pakistan with two leading English language dallies demanding that the masterminds of the carnage be brought to justice to root out terrorism in the region.

The Express Tribune wrote, "We must show the world that as a country, we are genuinely-committed to fighting terrorism," and called for speedy trial of the 26/11 accused in Pakistan. "The obvious foot-dragging is damaging. It raises questions about who we are protecting and why. In this regard, at the top of the list of those accused by the Indian government for the Mumbai attacks, is the leader of the Jamaat ud Dawa, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, a man who is wanted in both India and the US."

The Dawn said Kasab's execution "revived the memory of a senseless but well-planned act of mass murder" and questioned how its planning went unnoticed in Pakistan. It noted that Islamabad has distanced itself from "the work of a few fanatic killers". The Dawn editorialised that it "doesn't serve to hide the shortcomings in the working of Pakistan's anti-terrorism apparatus and its inability to keep tabs on organizations — not necessarily banned — which manage to amass enough resources to run clandestine cells that undertake fiendish operations of such magnitude."

It noted that the Pakistani part of the trial was dragging on and hoped that the case will be pursued with speed for the sake of justice. "Above all, Pakistanis deserve to know what the government intends to do to ensure that such a tragedy is not repeated. The issue is linked to the hydra-headed monster that terrorism has become for us," it said. "The lesson to be drawn... is that the government must make efforts to ensure that the state and citizens unite to root out what has become the biggest threat to our peace of mind as well as to our own and regional security."